Dr. El-Sibaie became a graduate Civil Engineer in 1980. He received his Masters Degree in Structural Dynamics in 1983, followed by his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Delaware in 1986.

Starting at the Chicago Technical Center as a senior research fellow, Dr. El-Sibaie worked for the Association of American Railroads from 1987 until 1995 where he pioneered new methods of modeling and measuring the dynamic behavior of railroad tracks. His published work on this subject earned him the 1989 American Society of Mechanical Engineers: Rail Transportation Award.

In 1989 Dr. El-Sibaie joined the Transportation Test Center in Pueblo, Colorado where he worked on vehicle/track interaction modeling and testing, in-train stability, and the development of load measuring wheels. He returned to the Chicago Technical Center as Manager of the Track Division in 1993, where he led the AAR’s track assessment and test program.

In 1995, Dr. El-Sibaie joined the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) as a senior program manager in the Office of Research and Development where in 1997, he chaired a government-industry working group that formulated the first set of track and vehicle/track interaction safety standards for high-speed rail service in the U.S. He later worked jointly with other FRA colleagues, Amtrak, Bombardier and Alstom to ensure the safe qualification of the Acela high-speed train service along the Northeast Corridor.

In 1998, he was selected as Chief of Track Research within FRA’s Office of Research and Development. Under his leadership, the Track Research Division managed FRA’s track inspection technology development program, which contributed significantly to the development of improved systems for measuring track geometry at high speeds.

In 2004 he was appointed as a National Resource to the Office of Railroad Development and in 2007, was selected as Director of the Office of Research and Development.